The present invention relates to protective garments and in particular, but not exclusively, to protective gloves (including gauntlets, mitts, mittens and the like) incorporating activated charcoal.
There is a need for protective gloves and other garments which incorporate activated charcoal, for use by those who may be exposed to chemical or biological risks, for example fire fighters. Although there are several types of fabric available incorporating activated charcoal which are used for clothing, they are generally not suitable for manufacturing gloves since gloves can be expected to be flexed repeatedly in use and the known fabrics provide little or no stretch. Moreover, the existing gloves can be time consuming to manufacture.
The known types of fabric incorporating activated charcoal comprise several yarns, one or more of which is a yarn of activated carbon which, when knitted with the other yarns, forms an integral part of the fabric and provides a protective function against chemical, biological and other risks. Unfortunately, the use of carbon yarn results in products that are dusty and weak, which is not acceptable for a glove which would be expected to be flexed continuously and repeatedly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process of manufacturing gloves containing activated charcoal which overcomes or alleviates the problems associated with the prior art. In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a process of manufacturing a protective garment comprises knitting a garment from a yarn having a heat-resistant core and a core covering comprising a carbon based yarn compound and treating the knitted garment to at least partially decompose the carbon based yarn to form activated charcoal.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a protective garment is made from a yarn having a heat-resistant core and a core covering comprising a carbon based yarn which has been at least partially decomposed to form activated charcoal.
It is believed that the activated charcoal formed on treating the garment is bound to the heat-resistant core, resulting in a fabric from which little or no activated charcoal escapes. Moreover, the use of a heat-resistant core results in a garment which shrinks much less than the prior art garments and at a-more predictable rate.
The carbon based yarn may be decomposed partially or substantially completely to form activated charcoal.
Preferably, the treatment of the knitted garment to at least partially decompose the carbon based yarn comprises heating.
The yarn may comprise a core spun yarn and may comprise a steel, ceramic or glass core. The covering may comprise viscose, either filament or spun, or lyocell.
Preferably, the knitted garment is located on a former during the heating stage to assist in reducing and/or controlling the degree of shrinkage and to assist in retaining the shape of the garment during heating.
Once the garment has been produced then one or more coatings may optionally be applied to its surface. For example, a curable plastisol such as PVC or latex may be screenprinted onto the garment in a predetermined pattern, eg: a matrix of dots. Alternatively or in addition, the garment may be dipped into the curable plastisol and subsequently cured. The plastisol may, for example, contain powdered activated carbon particles, thus increasing the chemical absorption characteristics of the glove and strengthening the glove considerably.
If desired, one or more further coatings may be applied. For example, a further series of dots (eg: PVC dots) may be applied to the surface of the garment to increase abrasion resistance.
The present invention also includes a protective garment made in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.